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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
APS May Skip Layoffs for Double Dippers
By Hailey Heinz
Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
Albuquerque Public Schools is rethinking its plan to lay off 176 so-called double dippers.
Officials say targeting rehired employees may not be the money-saver they had hoped for, and that there are legal concerns as well.
The proposal was part of a preliminary budget proposed by Superintendent Winston Brooks and approved by the school board two weeks ago.
Brooks said Monday that he has not formally backed off the plan, but acknowledged there are potential problems. He said staff members are studying the issue and he hopes to make a decision either this week or next.
APS faces a $43 million budget shortfall for next year due to cuts in state funding, APS accounting errors and depleted cash reserves. Plans to reduce spending include cuts to nonschool budgets and school discretionary funds as well as furloughs for administrators.
One concern is that targeting employees who have retired and then returned to work, earning both a salary and a pension, could prompt an age discrimination lawsuit. Although the layoffs would be based on retirement status, not age, they would affect mostly older employees.
Brooks also said the layoffs might not yield the $5 million savings that had been projected.
The problem lies in a formula called the training and experience index, which is used to help calculate the state funding that goes to each school district. Districts with more experienced, highly educated teachers get more money.
Brooks said he is now concerned that laying off some of the district's most experienced teachers could cost APS state funds, leaving the district with minor savings or even a loss.
"The concern at my level is, if I save $5 million now, do I lose even more than that in T and E and then three months from now they're going to say, 'Gosh, that was stupid, superintendent,'" he said.
Don Moya, chief financial officer at the state education department, said Brooks' concern is valid and that he should do careful calculations before laying off experienced teachers.
"The district really needs to do the research and figure out whether this will help them or not," Moya said.
Brooks said his staff is working on those calculations.
Another concern, which Brooks has been voicing since he first proposed the layoffs, is that rehires often fill hard-to-staff positions such as principals or special education teachers.
"As an example, I think there's a shortage of highly qualified principals. So when you get one that everyone likes and things are going in the right direction for the school, it's really hard to say, 'I'm going to get rid of you and hope I can find someone else.'"
Brooks emphasized that he has not made any final decisions about the planned layoffs and will need to consult with the school board.
As APS and other districts face the possibility of teacher layoffs, some national efforts are under way to shore up education funding.
Senators Tom Udall and Jeff Bingaman have signed on with about a dozen other Democratic senators to support a $23 billion fund for education jobs, which would be modeled after the stimulus bill. Of that money, New Mexico would be eligible for about $151 million in grants to support education and prevent layoffs.
"As our education work force gets smaller, our students suffer. Schools begin increasing class sizes and cutting critical services like counseling and libraries," Udall said in a news release. "Providing New Mexico's youth with the proper support while in the classroom will have a lasting impact on our economy by ensuring these students have the knowledge and tools they need to become successful, productive citizens."
Randi Weingarten, national president of the American Federation of Teachers, was in Albuquerque last week to speak in support of the bill.
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